


Cheer Me Up

by Dr_Z



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adorable Leo Valdez, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Child Neglect, Dating, Demigods, Established Relationship, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Feel-good, Flowers, Fluff, Ice Cream, Jealous Drew Tanaka, Jealousy, Kissing, Leo Valdez Needs a Hug, Makeup, Mud, Parent-Child Relationship, Possessive Behavior, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Single Parents, Texting, YouTube, just a hint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:41:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28881888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Z/pseuds/Dr_Z
Summary: Did I write and complete a fanfic? Wow, I'm surprised too.Fun fact: I created this entire story when ranting with my sister about how Leo Valdez is an angel and deserves better
Relationships: Drew Tanaka/Leo Valdez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. I'm not sad, though

“I _said_ , I’m not sad,” Drew says adamantly. “Stop this.”

Drew’s dad, still dressed in a stuffy shirt and tie, stopped dancing. He peered at her over the top of his glasses, and pulled out a carton of ice cream from a carrier bag.

“I’m not on my period, dad!”

“That might be the case, pumpkin,” her dad says, popping open the carton. “But I got everything ready for our tradition.”

Drew refuses to smile at her father stuffs a spoonful of vanilla into his mouth. A moment passes as she refuses to speak and her father continues to eat her favourite ice cream, before she finally succumbs. Dropping her phone onto the sofa, she riffles through the carrier bag. Hundreds-and-thousands. Chocolate sauce. Assorted crushed nuts. Blueberries. Oreos. Peanut butter cups.

She rips open that last packet and stuffs an entire cup into her mouth. Her dad offers her a spoon. Drew swallows, and says: “Should I go get some bowls, dad?”

Her dad smiles his million-dollar-smile, the one which makes parents forgive the harsh grades he gave their spoilt kids when they come to complain on parent-teacher day. He pulls a cushion into her lap, and drops the carton on top. “Here’s your bowl, kid.”

How can Drew _not_ smile? “Daddy…”

“Eat up, pumpkin,” he says, kissing the top of her head. “I’ve got some marking to do, but if you need anything, you come to the study, ok?”

“I’m fine, dad.”

“I’m sure Leo will be here soon,” her dad says randomly.

“Why would you say that? It’s not like I’m worried—”

“Drew,” her dad said simple.

Drew bit her lip: “I know,” she said. Her dad continued to look at her sceptically. “I _know_ he won't think of me differently. It’s just hard because—”

“Because you do.”

“Yeah. Being counsellor was all I had and now—”

“That is not correct. Even if you’re not Head Counsellor, your siblings still look up to you. You still have your friends, and me, and Leo. Nothing is going to change that.”

“Thanks, daddy.”

Drew’s phone buzzed. _A minute away_

“That him?” her dad asked. Drew nodded, already smiling. _R u home_

“Well, you know the drill, pumpkin. When the boyfriend is over, the bedroom door stays open—"

“Dad!” Drew shrieked, “Stop that! Go away, already!”

_Sorry I’m late don’t be mad_

“Oh, am I embarrassing you, child?” her dad began to dance again.

“Daaaaad!” Drew cried, “Please.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Her dad bowed, before making his way out of the living room. The door buzzed.

_Drew r u ignoring me_

_U r mad_

Drew took another big spoonful of ice cream.

_Im sorry baby_

_Don’t leave me outside_

With a massive sigh, Drew stood up and made her way to the front door.

“What the actual—”

“Hi?” Leo offered sheepishly.


	2. A single pink rose

“What the actual—”

“Hi?” Leo offered sheepishly.

Drew had absolutely no words. Her boyfriend was soaking wet, his shoes caked in mud, holding what might once have been a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

“I—what…?”

Leo dug through the dirty flowers and picked out a single perfect pink rose, before dropping the mess on the floor. “This is for you,” he thrust it at her awkwardly.

Drew cradled it close, and then sighed as she looked at her messy boyfriend. “Shoes off.” She ordered. “I’ll pick them up later. I’m burning your entire outfit. I’ll find some clothes for you while you shower.”

“Drew…” Leo said, bending over to yank his shoes off before entering the house. “I wanted to buy the flowers to cheer you up, but then I missed my bus so I took a shortcut through the park and then I got chased by this dog so I ran across the road and dropped your present and then I feel into a puddle and I couldn’t dry myself off in public because there were people around but then—”

“Leo,” Drew placed a hand on his cheek, “Breathe, baby.”

Leo took a long, deep breath, looking at the one rose in her hand morosely. Drew kissed his pouty lips, dragging him inside and shutting the door.

“I just wanted to make you happy after the whole Head Counsellor thing—”

“You heard about that.” Drew said calmly.

Leo winced. “Um, yeah, Piper told me.”

“Hmm.”

Leo looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed nervously.

“Leo,” Drew said softly. She _never_ wanted Leo to be nervous around her. “Thank you for the pink rose.” She placed the long stem carefully behind one ear. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Leo leaned closer, but Drew raised one perfectly manicured hand in front of her face.

“No kissing until you are clean!” she declared. “Now, come on, follow me to the bathroom, I’m going to be late for my date.”

“Your date, huh? Should I be jealous?”

“You should be _very_ jealous. If you take too long in the shower, there just might not be any ice cream left.”

Leo gasped dramatically. “You would never be so cruel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Leo! Don’t get mud on my walls!”


	3. Unwrap your present

Leo ran the towel through his hair one more time before giving up. He tied up the drawstrings of his borrowed pants and opened the window before walking over to his girlfriend’s room. He still couldn’t believe he had shown up to her house drenched in mud, with only a single flower to show for all of his efforts. There was no other option though; he knew how much being Head Counsellor had meant to her, even if she put on a brave face.

Leo heard sniffling, and paused. He tiptoed into her room and saw that Drew was sitting curled up on the floor, hands wrapped around her knees as she picked at her nail polish. Nope, that would _not_ do at all, no sirree.

Looking around wildly for inspiration, Leo spotted a pair of Drew’s pyjamas folded tightly at the foot of her bed. Before he could second-guess his crazy idea, he grabbed her pyjama bottoms and began to wrap them around his face and neck.

“Hey, Drew,” he said.

There was a distinct thud, as if Drew had leapt up and then a sort of wet giggle. “What on earth are you doing?”

“I got you a gift. Don’t you want to unwrap your present?” Leo said, spreading his arms in invitation.

Drew stared at, beyond confused.

“Please?” Leo said, tapping his hip nervously, “It’s kinda hard to breathe,”

“Oh,” Drew rose into action, and deftly freed his face. She giggled at the reveal of his red face and peppered his cheeks and nose with sweet butterfly kisses.

“That is not what I meant,” Leo tried to explain as his face grew hot. He slipped an arm around her waist, and slipped the other hand into her hair, kissing her on the forehead. He grinned when he saw the rose still tucked behind her ear. It gave him the courage to continue with his plan.

“I didn’t manage to get you a present,” Leo said, before quickly talking over her rebuttal, “So I’ll give you something you always wanted. I will… let you do makeup on my face.”

Silence. And then—

Drew _squealed_ with joy, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so excited, I’m so excited, oh my _god_ , let me get my camera—”

“Wait one second—”

“I’ve got this slightly darker foundation which should be a perfect match, and I haven’t used my Morphe palette 35b in any videos and I’ve got these new eye lashes AHHH I’m so excited—”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drew’s dad: Wow, I haven’t seen her this happy since we went to Disneyland when she was nine
> 
> Leo: ...there are no words to explain how much regret I feel right now...


	4. redo, renew, reDREW

Leo stood still and endured his torture with a brave face. The wet products were awful and felt unnatural smeared across his skin, the eyeliner made it feel like his eyelids were crying from the outside, the eyelash curler pinched skin which should never be pinched, the lip gloss felt heavy and sticky on his lips and the false lashes weighed down his eyelashes and obscured half his eyesight. But the brushes were soft, and his girlfriend’s fingers gentle on his skin, and so if Drew every asked if she could do this to him again, he would most definitely say:

“Never again!”

Drew laughed and asked him to blow a kiss to the camera. Leo glared.

“Wow, you guys, look at that angry face, you would never guess that Leo actually suggested this! I had a really shitty day, and the best boyfriend ever just _knew_ how to cheer me up instantly.”

Leo melted and leaned in for a kiss.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Drew said, almost unnaturally bright. Oh right, the camera was rolling. “No kissing, you’ll wreck your lip-gloss!”

“I am no longer enjoying myself,” Leo dead-panned.

“Let me just film the outro, and then we’ll get to washing your face.”

“Do I need to say anything?”

“You just sit here and look pretty, baby.”

“I’m glad you’re having the time of your life,” Leo muttered, “Because you owe me all the kisses right now.”

“Ok. And that’s a wrap guys, thanks for watching this video. If you enjoyed it make sure to like, comment and if you want to see more content like this then hit _subscribe._ I make a new video on ‘redo, renew, reDREW’ every week, so hit that bell icon to make sure you never miss a video. See you all next time!”

“Now can I wash my face?” Leo asked as Drew stopped the recording.

“I just want to take a few photos first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drew’s dad: Hello, Leo. Don't you look—  
> Leo: I’m sure ‘my dad's makeover’ would also garner a lot of views. Don’t mess with me, old man  
> Drew’s dad: AH … I made cookies?


	5. The Comment Section

Face freshly rubbed raw, Leo joins his girlfriend and her father in the living room. “Lady and gentleman, there is no reason to stress, for I am back to my rugged handsome self!”

“Ah I heard all about your little adventure, today,” Drew’s father said, standing up to hug him. He looked pointedly at his clothes.

“Don’t worry, daddy, I ordered some clothes online, they’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Good, good,” he said. “Leo I thought the flight was tomorrow. Are you staying tonight too? I’ll need to get the airbed inflated.”

“I can do it!” Leo offered. “And I’m sorry about the last-minute change in plans. They decided to stay over at a relative’s house so it’s a quick drive to the airport.”

“Well, you’re always welcome here.” He said before leaving.

“Leo, you’re ~ _famous_ ~.” Drew sang. “Over three hundred hits in ten minutes.”

“You posted it already? Didn’t you want to edit it?” Leo sat next to her and took her phone, scrolling through the comments.

“There was no need to edit ~ _perfection~_.” Drew kissed his cheeks. “Leo did you hear me? Hello.”

“Look at all these comments!” Leo laughed, “What the hell?”

Drew turned to get comfortable on the sofa, lying down with her head on the armrest. “Come here,” she said, pulling him over her. He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm before laying his head on her stomach. “Read them to me,” she ordered.

“Yes, your majesty,” Leo laughed, “ _Oh my god, I’m early for once_ , that’s kinda boring, blah, blah, blah. _Love you Drew, you’re so talented_ , that’s so nice. _Your liner is uneven_ , your face is uneven, shut up. _Where can I get this eyeshadow palette, it’s so pretty. What brushes are you using; I NEED. Can you be my girlfriend_. Umm, no, she can’t, sorry, it’s illegal.” Drew began to stroke Leo’s hair, laughing at his impromptu commentary.

“ _I would kill to be able to contour like that,_ wow you have definitely got your priorities straight. _Your boyfriend is so cute, did he give you that rose? I love your hair like this. Your top is so—”_

“Wait, what was that?” Drew’s hand tightened subconsciously in Leo’s hair, “Someone commented about you?”

“Ow, oh yeah, sorry. There’s a whole bunch I was trying to ignore them—”

“Let me see that!” Drew yanked the phone out of his hand and stood up, dislodging him roughly.

_Oh my god, your boyf is a.dor.a.ble._

_Someone find me a boy like this_

_Look at the way he looks at her_

_My god, his eyes are so pretty_

_He smiles at her the way I smile at pizza_

_Why is he so pretty_

_He hurts my eyeballs with his beauty_

_Never seen a before and after look identically gorgeous_

_Oh la la, wanna run my fingers through your hair_

_Hey handsome I need a date to prom wanna come with?_

Drew clenched her jaw in fury, her fingers digging into her phone so hard she was in danger of losing a nail. “You are MINE—” she snarled.

And stopped. Because Leo, her adorable Leo, had moved up into the warm spot she had left behind, and fallen asleep. She knelt down, and ran a reverent finger across his bottom lip.

“Did you say something?” he mumbled sleepily; eyes closed.

“Not important,” she said, “Go to sleep, baby.”

“Can you.” Leo drawled, “Can you play with my hair.”

“Sure babe. Sit up for a second.”

Leo whined, but Drew quickly sat down and pulled his head into her lap. He pressed his face into her belly, humming contently as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Library. My videos. More. Delete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drew: Daddy, how do I put someone else’s Instagram profile on private? Preferably, without them knowing?


End file.
